I am totally aware that I am coming in down to the wire with this recipe. Thanksgiving is just a few short days away and maybe some of you have had your menu’s planned for days or even weeks, but I am not quite that put together. I am serving dinner to somewhere between 7 and 10 people on Thursday and I am still working on what I plan to serve.

With my weekends being consumed by yoga teacher training and trying to maintain a social life amidst a busy work schedule plus making time for my own yoga practice and personal training sessions, life has been feeling a tad hectic, as of late. My saving grace has been our CSA boxes that get delivered every Wednesday. Most weeks I plan our meals based on what shows up in that box, so I always know that we will be eating healthy and well, no matter how busy life gets.

This stuffing was born on a day that a new CSA box showed up and I still had a couple things from the previous week’s box. So, it’s partially a recipe created with Thanksgiving in mind and partially and more simply, a fridge/pantry cleaning recipe. After getting some beautiful butternut squash, leeks and apples, plus some gorgeous collard greens, I was finding myself inspired to create a dish that used all of them.

This fun version of a classic bread stuffing is so easy to throw together and it is just full of so many incredible comforting flavors. The best part of this recipe is how versatile it is. You can use whatever your favorite bread is, try kale instead of collard greens and you could even add meat, if that’s your preference.

I created a super quick and easy to make grain-free bread to make this stuffing with, I kinda impressed myself with how simple it is to make and how perfectly it works in this recipe! What more could you ask for on a busy holiday?

I’ve already tested this recipe out on a few gluten-eating folks and they had no clue that it was not only gluten-free, but totally grain-free, too. So for my money, it makes for the perfect dish to serve a crowd, so everyone is happy, food allergies, dietary restrictions and all.

[print_this]Roasted Butternut Squash, Apple and Leek Bread Stuffing with Collard Greens {Grain-free, Dairy-free and Vegetarian}
serves 4-6

• 1 lb cubed butternut squash, peeled, seeds removed
• 1 apple, cored and diced small
• 1 large leek
• 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, roughly chopped
• 3 tablespoons Terra Delyssa Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, divided
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 bunch collard greens or kale, large stems removed, cut into ribbons or roughly chopped
• 5 cups dried/toasted bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (see recipe below for the grain-free bread I used)
• 1 farm fresh egg, beaten
• 1 tablespoon fresh sage, roughly chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, roughly chopped
• 1 1/2 cups low sodium vegetable broth (you may want a little more or a little less, depends on how much the bread absorbs)
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400ºF. Lightly grease a 9×13 pan with a little oil.

Peel the outer layer from the leeks. Slice off the roots and discard. Slice off the dark green parts of the leeks, discard or save for stock. Slice the white and light green parts of the leeks into 1/8″-inch rounds. Add the sliced leeks to a bowl of water and swirl around. Allow any dirt and sand to settle to the bottom. Scoop out the leeks and empty the bowl. Repeat again with fresh water until no dirt remains.

Add the sliced leeks, cubed butternut squash, diced apples and rosemary to a large rimmed baking sheet or roasting pan. Toss with 2 tablespoons of olive oil until everything is evenly coated. Season with a little salt and pepper. Roast until the butternut squash is tender, but not too soft. About 25-30 minutes.

Meanwhile, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a large pan over a medium high heat and add the onion and celery. Sauté for 5-7 minutes until tender and slightly translucent. Add the garlic and the collard greens, cook until the greens are wilted.

When the roasted vegetables are done, reduce the heat of the oven to 350ºF. Add the roasted mixture to a large bowl as well as the onion and collard green mixture and the bread cubes. Pour the beaten egg over top, the remaining herbs and the vegetable broth, don’t add all of the broth at once, you may not need it all. You are looking to have the bread absorb the liquid and not have too much laying in the bottom of the bowl. Make sure you add enough though, so the bread isn’t dry. Toss everything around until it is well mixed and add the mix to your prepared pan, cover with foil.

Bake the stuffing for 25 minutes and then remove the foil and bake for another 10 minutes uncovered, until slightly browned.  Serve hot and enjoy!

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NOTES:

• you can use your favorite bread in this recipe, I used the below grain-free bread
• the egg isn’t integral to the recipe, so it can be left out to make vegan, I like my stuffing to be a bit held together but this is a personal preference
• you can also opt for kale or another hearty green instead of the collard greens
• Prior to preparing the recipe, I cut whatever bread I am using into cubes and I like to leave it out for a day or so to become slightly dry. You can also place the bread cubes in a single layer on a cookie sheet and bake at 200º until dried and lightly toasted

I feel like I have to start by saying this isn’t a fancy bread recipe and it doesn’t rise super high, so I wouldn’t recommend making a loaf expecting to have amazing grain-free sandwiches on it. I literally created this recipe to make a simple, easy-to-make grain-free bread that would be perfect for this stuffing recipe. That it is. I’ve served this stuffing to several gluten eaters and they all approve. Which means I know it’s a winner.

[print_this]Grain-free Bread {gluten-free, dairy-free and nut-free}

• 3/4 cup coconut flour, sifted
• 6 farm fresh eggs
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 cup olive or coconut oil or melted butter
• 1 1/2 tablespoons psyllium husk powder

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Lightly grease a loaf pan.

Add all of the ingredients to a large mixing bowl and mix by hand or with a mixer until well combined and no lumps. Pour into the prepped loaf pan, be sure to even the dough out with your hands or a spatula. Bake for 35-40 minutes. Cut into sliced and then into 1-inch cubes and toast or dry out for a day or to, to use for the stuffing.[/print_this]

 

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